Princess Queen
An Alaskan Adventure Cruise Aboard the Island Princess
The first day in late summer, my trip took me to the sea of Valdez, Alaska. While traveling I could see the fire weed, bright red and in full bloom along the roadside. According to the locals, winter would be short, ending short summer Alaska enjoys. My morning had begun in the port of Valdez and I was preparing to meet Princess Cruise Line's brand new ship, Island Princess.
When the coach princess entered the Port of Seaward I could see the Island Princess standing tall and elegant. I could not help thinking how incredible that this ship is ultra-modern. It is powered by a gas turbine has a capacity of 1,970 passengers. This ship stands tall at 204 feet and is 964 feet long. She is the new sister of the Coral Princess Cruise Lines' Princess. This sister of 92,000 tons is not a follower, since it has many traits of herself. I would be on board for a cruise south from Seward to Vancouver BC
As we boarded the boat and started exploring, I felt the space of this ship and design. As has been described as a touch of design, " Island Princess features two full decks of public spaces, compared with the traditional one-story tour. I found four-story atrium of the ship to be alive with sophisticated colors and lighting. On a visit I would find a string quartet playing "Yesterday" by the Beatles, and next time would be lively piano music in the living room from Crooners.
If the space ship's public spaces were not big enough, my cabin was in a class of its own too. I had a mini-suite with private balcony. This was a treat like no other. The mini-suites with private balcony with double beds that become one double bed. The private balcony was so great that I wanted to invite all home again. It also has two televisions incase you wanted to see both the baseball and the football game while cruising Glacier Bay. Do not forget the refrigerator, bathroom with tub and shower, all wrapped in 323 square feet including balcony. To say this was wonderful would be a huge understatement.
Our boat was scheduled to depart from the port of Seward at 10 pm, much later than had done before. However, I was getting used to long days of summer sunlight in Alaska forever. While in Fairbanks days before, the sun set around 11:30 pm and rise around 3:30 am. Now that we were farther south in Seward it would be night for navigation, but even so one day much longer than I was used in Florida's west coast.
It was dinner on board and he had chosen for our traditional cuisine one week cruise. One thing I learned was Princess Cruises views dining as a form of entertainment. Food preparation and presentation is taken very seriously. You will find only better quality food. On the other hand, men and women who oversee the ballet of buffets, teas and formal dinners, direct a Broadway show.
We chose traditional Dining but Princess Cruises has what they call Personal Choice Dining. Only Princess offers this innovative approach to the restaurants, allowing guests to dine how, when and with whom they want. Passengers can choose from a restaurant-style option that allows the same flexibility found in the shore side establishments, or the traditional cruise dining experience with an assigned dining time, table mates and waiters – No other cruise line offers both options.
Personal Choice dining also means it's your choice to eat at any time you want. This means that you have the option of eating in a restaurant open 24 hours. Minuet is not "Denny's of the Sea", that is great cooked food options "to" to provide only the best ingredients for your guests on board. You will also find freshly made pizza served by the slice served poolside at Princess Pizza pizzeria. Many cruise lines have added specialty restaurants onboard. Princess, according to his philosophy of love foods, offers more options than any other line cruise. Island Princess offers two such specialty restaurants. The first is the Bayou Café, "where passengers can enjoy traditional Cajun and Creole influenced food and live jazz in the first restaurant in New Orleans with issues at sea, with a look and feel out the French Quarter. You will find a menu dining options, like peeling shrimp and consumption, alligator ribs, gumbo and jambalaya, not to mention the obligatory bevy of exotic cocktails. Cargo cover ($ 
includes complimentary cocktails hurricane. Below you will find Sabatini, offering Italian dining and seafood specialties other traditional dishes served with flair in an authentic setting, like the Trattoria. Some cruisers feel that the specialty restaurants is not worth additional fees or will not pay anything "extra", while on a cruise. It has been my experience that the price is worth it and most of the fee goes directly to staff at the tips. So please do not pass on these specialty restaurants, as they are indeed special.
As my days the sea for the first time, I was very impressed with all the activities that have been experienced on board. The Lotus Spa offers a wide range of treatments and massages at a good price. The spa was very beautifully decorated, and had attentive staff. My companion, who has crossed many times said that the staff is first class and wonderful treat. As we continue to explore the ship I found that the Internet café, located outside the atrium, was great. They even had a table setup with coffee and cream for you to enjoy nearby. I liked that touch a lot. The cafe has a wonderful leather chairs and flat panel monitors that made reading email or surfing the net enjoyable. The only drawback is to lose connection once in a while due to being in Alaska.
A program I found onboard that was most surprising was Princess Scholarship new '@ Sea enrichment programs. The program began in early 2003 and the princess of the island is only the second ship to offer the program. She follows her sister ship Coral Princess in offering classes in its next-generation multi-purpose Universe Lounge. During my cruise I went to a cooking demonstration given by the cruise line companies of chef Alfredo Marzi. It was like watching "Emeril Live 'or other signs of the large kitchen. This included the smell, a vision-and you're there in the audience for smell the fresh garlic, wine and spices. I really liked and I've never seen a cooking demonstration like this before. It is both educational and entertaining presentation with a state of art generation. Everyone had a perfect view, due to the large TV screen and the strong disposition of the living universe. Later in the week I had the pleasure of attending a lecture given by Princess Cruise Lines Moulin Fleet Commodore (r). I had the opportunity to learn about their life at sea, how it started, until retirement. It was fascinating and quickly was convinced that they actually prefer this type of program on a cruise. I've been a big player, so I did not attend Bingo even onboard art auction. So these offers is wonderful. I was even more surprised when I found out how much was available. You can choose from about 20 courses per voyage (six days by sea) of four core subject areas – Culinary Arts, Visual / Creative Arts, Photography and Computer Technology. Italian cooking, hand-built pottery, digital travel photography, web design, succession planning and water color techniques are just some of the courses offered. All courses are free and passengers can enjoy as much as they wish. If you want to continue their education on board who can take classes smaller board a fee of $ 10.
As you may have guessed all this entertainment, enrichment and food onboard you may not want to lose the boat. Being on board the Princess of the island was like being in a luxury resort. I know many other cruise lines are struggling for this, but now offered Princess Cruises the princess of the island. Your days are filled with food, entertainment, ports of call and personal choices.
When the ship pulled into Vancouver Island Princess and the Lion's Gate Bridge, I looked back and knew I had experienced something special. Since I had never been to Alaska, this trip was a journey like no another. I have found in Alaska to be truly a desert Wonderland "and a ship like the princess of the island as its platform for the discovery is a need make this cruise addict.
Explore, Dream, Discover
About the Author
John Shallo is the editor and web publisher of
Cruise Addicts
.
Click here for SLIDESHOW of photo’s from this voyage:
http://www.cruise-addicts.com/photogallery/main.php?g2_view=slideshow.Slideshow&g2_itemId=1535
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